One Step Closer
by domani guardian
Summary: "All of his actions were completely justified under the name of King Triton. Sure, they might have been a little haphazard and rash and probably started this whole mess in the first place, but completely justified." He had just ruined Melody's life.


One Step Closer

All of his actions were completely justified under the name of King Triton.

Sure, they might have been a little haphazard and rash and probably started this whole mess in the first place, but completely justified.

Everyone in Atlantica knew the stories of Princess Ariel's daughter, Melody, stranded upon land because of the threat Morgana posed to her. Triton didn't take lightly the protection he wanted for his granddaughter. He would never underestimate a sea witch again.

Triton began to send guards – transformed as humans – up to the shore to check on the royal family. Not many knew this, only the king's men and some of their family. The head captain's son, Drake, watched his father transform time and time again and disappear into the world above for half a day to see the goings on of the youngest princess' world.

Drake wanted to see Ariel. He wanted to see Melody. He wanted to see the world the princess had given up her fins for. Atlantica was paradise, so why would someone so lucky leave that behind?

"Melody's twelfth birthday is tonight. The town is all abuzz with details of the party."

"Were you able to gain entrance, Roland?" Triton asked. The captain shook his head.

"No, sire. The only guests allowed in, other than Princess Ariel, Prince Eric, and the hired staff, are under the age of fifteen," Roland replied, adjusting his armor. Triton sighed, and Roland tried to assuage the king's worries.

"Your Majesty, I'm quite sure that the party will be safe. If you cannot manage to send one of your men in, everything will be all right. You haven't needed to watch over her at social gatherings in the past."

Triton gripped his golden trident and let the words wash over him. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling he'd woken up with last night.

"But I feel something rising. A force. Someone has found Melody, and I need to be sure that she remains safe at all times. Sebastian will be watching her, of course, but I need someone who will be able to intervene if necessary."

"I could," Drake said from behind the columns before he even realized what he was doing. He slapped a hand over his mouth and swam backward, only to bump into another column. His father appeared in seconds, sword raised.

"Oh… Drake… it's only you. What are you doing here?" Roland asked, the gold sword falling to his side.

"Your son would be perfect," King Triton boomed out, his bulky form towering over Drake and Captain Roland before Drake could answer his father's question.

"Sire?" Roland said, expecting an explanation. But Drake didn't need one. King Triton had heard exactly what Drake had said and had already made the decision for him.

"Your son could easily watch over Melody at the party tonight. We'll send him as a neighboring duke. No one will be any the wiser!" Triton proclaimed and swam back to his throne. The conversation was closed. Roland looked down at his young son, and Drake cringed away.

"You've signed yourself up for this, so I might as well tell you what you've got to do," Roland said. Drake's mouth opened and closed wordlessly, but his father led him around the open water palace.

"You aren't to engage the princess in any way. Melody knows nothing of Atlantica, and Triton wants to keep it that way until Morgana no longer poses a threat, but I suppose you know that already. You are there to make sure her night goes smoothly. Princess Ariel is not to know about this either. You are to return here in an hour's time, and King Triton will bring you to the shore and transform you into a human. Sebastian should be able to bring you clothes that fit."

Roland turned to face his son and gave him a weary smile. "I'm proud of you, Drake. This will show King Triton that someday you'll be worthy of my position as captain."

His father swam away. Neither one of them had actually asked if Drake had wanted to watch over Melody at her twelfth birthday. But now it was his duty, imposed by the King of Atlantica himself. Drake's heart beat faster and he drove himself from the palace.

"Drake! My man! Where are you headed off to so fast?" Amos called out, appearing with Miria.

"Yeah, Drake, we were waiting for you so we could hang out in the kelp gardens. Where have you been?" Miria put in, swimming circles around him. Drake couldn't stop the words flooding out of his mouth.

"I'm going up to the shore tonight, guys."

Miria stopped short, tumbling over her fins, and Amos' jaw dropped.

"You're _what_?" they gasped together. Drake just nodded.

"I was swimming around the palace trying to find something to do before I went off with you guys, but I overheard King Triton talking with my dad, and King Triton wants to protect Melody at her birthday tonight. My dad said he couldn't get in, but I… I think I volunteered myself."

His friends gaped at him for a few silent moments before bursting into a flurry of questions that left his head spinning.

"Wait, so you're going to be human?"

"How does that even work?"

"Can you even do that?"

"What's the party going to be like?"

"Are you going to meet Princess Ariel and Princess Melody?"

"Can we come with you?" was their final question in unison.

They'd backed him up against a coral reef.

"Uh…" He had no idea what to answer to any of those questions. He let himself drop to the sandy floor and swam forward to free himself from his friends' cornering. "Well, I don't really… I mean, it's really King Triton who…" Their faces fell for a split second before Drake finished, "But I'm definitely going to tell you everything that happens!"

"Well, you better," Miria said with a grin. "You can't forget a single second."

"When do you go?" Amos asked.

"In less than an hour. And then I'll be back tonight, too. King Triton just has to tell Sebastian to get royal clothes for me… I'm going as a neighboring duke."

"You get to be a duke _and_ a human _and_ you get to meet Princess Ariel and Princess Melody? Man, you're _lucky_."

Drake grinned and beamed. But three hours later, standing in the large entrance hall, stiff in the tight blue tailcoat and white breeches, he didn't feel so lucky. Hearing these stuck up children moaning and groaning for the past twenty minutes while they waited for the princess to make her entrance was agonizing.

"I don't know why I'm here," a young princess muttered under her breath to the two boys standing next to her. Drake's ears perked. "Princess Melody has always been an oddball. She _talks_ to _animals_. Can you believe that?"

"She's always running around events in a men's shirt and breeches. For a princess, she certainly has the manners of a servant girl," the shorter boy sniffed.

"Her mother came out of nowhere, too. Probably raised by animals, from the stories I hear when she first arrived. That's why Princess Melody talks to creatures," the taller boy chortled. "Because they're family!"

"Queen Ariel came from royalty," Drake heard himself blurt, stepping up to the three. The two boys crossed their arms and the girl raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And who are you? I haven't seen you around here before," the girl sneered, tossing her blonde hair as she spoke.

"I am Duke Drake Van Der Zee," he replied, puffing himself up like he had seen King Triton do so many times before. The girl was not impressed.

"And where are you from, Duke Van Der Zee?" she mocked him in a nasal accent. Drake's mouth moved wordlessly, and the girl smirked.

"As I thought. You are clearly no better than them. Can't even speak properly."

He found his words again. "You're no better than a sniveling sea slug. But of course, I do suppose that's an insult to the slug."

The girl's jaw dropped. The two boys snickered behind their hands before she shot lethal glares at them both. The girl snarled, "Princess Melody puts this kingdom to shame. She is nothing but a graceless freak."

"I'll prove you wrong."

"Be my guest."

Trumpets sounded right on cue. The room hushed and turned toward the opening doors at the top of the staircase. It was then Drake caught his first glimpse of the young Atlantican princess.

His first thought was that she looked nothing like her mother at all. Her ebony hair was pulled back and she looked uncomfortable in the pink dress that someone had clearly forced her to wear. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for a friendly face. Drake caught sight of Princess Ariel and Prince Eric, encouraging their daughter to walk on.

As Melody hit the bottom of the steps, Drake found himself right there with her. She curtsied and he bowed, just as his father had taught him barely two hours ago.

"Um, hi," Drake said, his voice coming out unnaturally high. Melody turned to face him with wide blue eyes. "Would you like to dance?"

He felt judging glares all around him. Each one of these kids was probably just as spoiled and just as conceited as the three he had just spoken to.

"Sure," Melody replied after a glance up to her parents. "Okay."

He took her hand and desperately hoped dancing was similar on land than it was in the sea. The music started as they reached the center of the ballroom, and Drake only just hoped for the best.

One, two, three… one, two, three… turn, turn, turn…

Drake looked down at Melody firmly concentrating on her feet. He should have been the one focused on his brand new feet, but instead, he felt confident. He squeezed her hand and grinned at her, getting a shy smile in return. He wanted to find the three kids and grin at them, positive he had proved his point.

Drake spun Melody out twice and drew her in close, so close that surprise drew across her face. His hand rested on her back – and something crunched down hard on his finger.

"Ow!" he muttered, pulling his hand away. Clamped down tight was a red crab – a red crab that he recognized.

Sebastian.

And then the pain kicked in. Without even thinking, Drake flung Sebastian away, and in the process, lost his balance. He stumbled backwards into a bowl of punch, sending glass and drink everywhere. As Drake pulled himself upright, not at all bothered by the douse, he saw that Sebastian had landed square in the cake.

"I'm so sorry!" he heard Melody say before he turned around.

"Well, I should say…" he started, ready to apologize too, before he realized that she wasn't apologizing to him.

She was apologizing to Sebastian.

"So…" Drake gasped. She was speaking to Sebastian. Drake knew for a fact that Sebastian was not supposed to be speaking to Melody, only watching over her. Which meant Melody must have known about the sea life that was her world. She had been in the sea.

But the girl he had been speaking to managed to get her word in first.

"Who _is_ she talking to?" she cackled, feigning shock, with a glance thrown toward Drake. The boys jumped in on the bandwagon.

"She's talking to a crab!" the short one announced. The laughter gained motion as people realized what had happened. Melody's cheeks began to flush and the laughter heightened. Before Drake could catch her arm, Melody gathered her skirts

Something pinched his ankle before Drake could go after Melody. Drake looked down to see Sebastian there, already scuttling along in front of him. Drake took the hint and rushed out after him, following Sebastian back the way Drake got in.

They were out on the moonlit beach before he knew it.

"You're Cap'n Roland's son, arentcha?" Sebastian said.

"Yeah," Drake replied, sitting down on one of the rocks. He started unbuttoning the coat. The sea air was fresh and sweet. "I'm the one you got the clothes for. Sorry… but they're kind of ruined."

"Ah, it don' matter." Sebastian waved his claws. "The owners won' miss 'em anyway."

"Why… why does Melody know you?" Drake asked before silence could set in.

Sebastian shrieked, running around in a circle. "Aye, boy, don' go sayin' tings like dat where King Triton might hear ya!"

"But… if you've been in the sea with her, wouldn't Triton be just as likely to find out?"

Sebastian stopped and thought about this. His shell slumped.

"Well it 'tall started out harmless, I can tell ya dat. But Melody… Melody didn't have no friends. So what's a crab ta do, huh? Leave 'er there lonely? No," Sebastian said. "Just don' let de King know."

"I won't tell anyone as long as you don't tell anyone that I caused the whole mess in the first place. King Triton would have my tail fins."

"Your secret's safe with me, Drake, I promise ya." Sebastian held up a claw. "'Dis crab's word is good."

After another couple of second of silence, Sebastian said, "It was good of ya ta ask 'er ta dance. She seemed ta really… enjoy 'erself."

Drake shrugged. "I really wasn't supposed to talk to her or anything. But those kids… they're really horrible. All snobby and stuck up… No wonder Melody doesn't fit in in this world. She's too good for them." There went his habit of running off his mouth without even thinking of what he was saying first.

He saw Sebastian grin.

"Right ya are. You're not ta bad one, you."

"Thanks… I think."

Water splashed and bushes rustled behind them.

"What was that?" Drake said, looking around. Sebastian shrieked again and started pinching at his legs.

"Dat's Melody! She's de only one who comes t'rough dis way! You've got ta go inta the sea so she won' see ya! Go! Go!"

His fins were supposed to return as soon as he dove into the sea again. Drake grimaced, wanting to stay longer and talk to Melody, but dove as he was told. He backstroked fifty yards before flipping backwards and underwater. His fins had returned, but the air just felt so good.

As Drake swam from the shore, he didn't notice the boat paddling away above his head.

* * *

><p>"You danced with her?" was the unison question today.<p>

"Shh, shh, keep it down!" Drake said, casting his glance around the outskirts of the palace. "I wasn't supposed to, and King Triton will skewer me alive if he finds out!"

"Then why did you?" Miria asked, the smile on her face suggestive. Drake stopped short, eyes wide.

"To show everyone that she wasn't such a graceless princess after all," he said, although he had probably just made everything a whole lot worse.

Miria and Amos looked at each other and just shook their heads. Together, they burst out singing, "Drake and Melody, swimming in the sea, K-I-S-S-I-N-G—!"

"Guys, I'm never going to see her again. Can we just go to the kelp gardens like we were supposed to yesterday?"

Miria and Amos just kept making kissing noises, and Drake just kept swimming backward to avoid them. Something – someone – bumped into his back. Drake swiveled around.

"Oh, sorry, my fault," Drake laughed, and the mermaid who had bumped into him echoed his words shyly. Drake narrowed his eyes slightly. She looked familiar. But he couldn't quite place it.

"Hi," he said. "I don't think I've seen you around here. What's your name?"

"I'm Mel…mel."

"Hey, guys!" Drake called back to Miria and Amos to distract them. "Meet Melmel!"

"Hi!" Miria said.

"Hey! Wanna hang out with us?" Amos said, swimming right up to her face. A smile spread across the mermaid's face and she nodded eagerly.

"All right, all right!" something snapped, swimming between Amos and Melmel. Amos swerved back and Drake blinked. "Break it up, break it up! Nothin' to see here! Move it along!"

He waved his fins at them and grabbed Melmel by the arm.

"Maybe I'll catch you later!" Drake called out to her. She waved again, smiling and swimming backward, before the little water bird tugged her attention away.

"Was that a penguin?" Drake muttered, watching the odd trio swim away. "Because I'm absolutely positive that penguins can't breathe underwater…"

Amos and Miria watched them go.

"It's funny… that mermaid certainly looked a lot like what you said Melody looked like," Miria said, tapping her chin. She threw her hands up in the air and spun around. "With her _flowing locks of shining ebony hair _—!"

"And _blue eyes that shine like diamonds under brilliant light_!" Amos finished up, the two of them cackling.

"Hey, hey, I didn't say anything like that!" Drake protested, but his friends were right. The mermaid did look a lot like Princess Melody… and her name wasn't too far off, either.

"Maybe that is Melody…" Drake muttered.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Miria decided, hooking an arm through Drake's and Amos'. "Let's go ask!"

Thus began their secret spying mission. The three of them followed Melmel, a walrus, and a penguin toward the palace – only to catch her in the main hall of the palace stealing the all-powerful trident.

Miria smacked Drake on the arm and hissed, "That's not Melody! You've clearly made friends with a thief!"

"But no one other than the heirs to the Atlantican throne can remove the trident from its place! That_ has_ to be Melody!" He'd heard King Triton tell his father this many times before.

"But then how is she a mermaid?" Amos asked. "The only people who have ever had the power to do that are King Triton and Ursula, but Ursula's been dead for years!"

"And King Triton's not the one to bring his granddaughter back to the sea," Miria said.

"Morgana," Drake whispered. "It's why I was sent up there in the first place! Morgana will do anything for that trident, including manipulating Melody. I bet that's where Melody's headed right now!"

They took off in the same direction as Melody.

"Drake," Miria said, slapping a hand over her eyes. "This is all your fault."

He swallowed. His mishap of dancing with Melody embarrassed her, which ultimately sent her out into the sea toward Morgana. That lead to her transformation into a mermaid and finally ended up with her stealing King Triton's trident.

It really was all his fault.

"Well, then, I guess it's my job to fix it. Let's stop her before she gets back to Morgana!"

The water progressively got colder the farther they went. To add insult to injury, the dead of the night was fast approaching.

"This is ridiculous," Amos muttered. "We're too close to Arctic."

"And we'll freeze our tails off if we go any farther," Miria complained, shivering. Drake pressed on.

"We can't leave her out there alone! We have to at least make sure that someone else knows she's here."

Drake swam forward, darting his gaze around at the darkened waters. He could barely see Melody up ahead, swimming toward the surface with the walrus and abrasive penguin. Miria yelped and rushed away as two shadows passed over their heads. Drake looked up to see two stingrays heading after Melody.

"Princess Ariel!" Amos gasped. All three of them swung back to the redheaded mermaid swimming their way.

"Have you three seen my daughter, Melody?" Ariel said, coming to a sudden stop. Miria and Amos stood there, shocking that the beloved princess who had left their world was talking to them. Drake, on the other hand, moved forward and nodded.

"Yes, Princess, we have. We were following her to make sure she didn't get into any trouble," Drake said.

"Oh, I think she's already gotten herself into plenty of trouble. She's headed towards Morgana's lair, isn't she?" Ariel asked. Drake bit down on his lip and held his arm out in that direction.

"That's what we think, yeah. Is there anything we can do for you, Princess?"

Because it was pretty much his fault in the first place, Drake thought as he bowed his head slightly. But he wasn't about to admit that out loud to Princess Ariel.

"Please, would you go back and tell my father where I've headed? We're going to need help," Ariel said, already taking off in Melody's direction. "Thank you so much!"

"Does this mean we're going all the way back?" Miria whined, her arms crossed tight. Amos sighed and didn't bother waiting for an answer. The three of them swam back to warmer waters to warn King Triton of possible catastrophe.

* * *

><p>"Do you think everything will be all right?" Miria asked two hours later, lounging on a bed of seaweed. None of them had been able to sleep once they'd returned. Roland offered the three of them a place to stay in the castle – so long as they stayed there and didn't interfere any further.<p>

"It has to be. Otherwise… I don't even want to think what this kingdom might be like."

Tragedy had struck Atlantica before, but there was only so much that the merpeople could take. If harm befell Melody or King Triton or Ariel, Atlantica might not stand so strong.

"Everything has to turn out right," Drake muttered. "Princess Ariel already got her happily ever after. You can't just change the story like that. It's not fair."

Silence fell over them, but still they couldn't sleep without news.

Roland entered the room and cleared his throat. All three kids snapped their heads toward him, eyes hungry for a reason to smile.

"Everything's all right. Melody and Ariel returned to the surface safely. Morgana was defeated."

After everything Drake had done, the finale didn't seem so climactic. Miria gasped and clapped and Amos grinned and fell back on the pillows he'd been eying for an hour. Now they could finally sleep without having to worry.

Drake just floated there, unsure of what to do, what to say. It was like nothing had even happened in the first place.

"Rest. There's someone who'd like to speak with you, son, but not until the morning. Can't impress someone if you're half-asleep on your fins, now, can you?" His father clapped him on the back and nudged him toward one of the beds.

"I'm never going to be able to go to sleep now that you've told me that. Who wants to speak with me? King Triton?" Drake asked. Roland just chuckled.

"Sleep," he ordered, making his way out of the room.

"I won't be able to!"

But two minutes and twelve seconds later, Drake proved himself very wrong.

* * *

><p>Drake hadn't expected to be brought up to the surface to see the unveiling of the destruction of the wall. He hadn't expected for King Triton to smile his way. He hadn't expected his father to lead him over to the very edge of the beach. And he certainly hadn't expected to be once again face to face with the youngest princess of Atlantica and the queen of the neighboring kingdom.<p>

"Thank you for dancing with my daughter," Ariel said. She smiled, and her blue eyes glittered – the same eyes as Melody.

"You – you recognized me?" Drake said, shocked. Ariel smiled and covered her mouth with her fingers.

"Oh, yes. While going to find Melody, I did indeed recognize you. I figured we could deal with the matter when the time was appropriate. I believe now it is appropriate."

Drake understood what she implied. She knew that everything had eventually led right back up to him.

The words came rushed out of his mouth. "Princess. I'm so sorry for everything—"

Ariel held up a hand and graced him with another smile.

"Nothing is wrong at all, so there's no need to apologize for anything. Thank you for all of it." She cast her gaze in the direction of where the wall used to be. Ariel's eyes fell on the horizon, where she could now see both worlds and not have to worry about her daughter's safety. King Triton and Melody were together, hugging and laughing and talking and swimming.

Drake realized what she was saying. He bowed his head again.

"You're very welcome, Princess."

"You are welcome in our palace any time you wish. Just tell my father, and he will make it so." Ariel waved a small goodbye and turned on her heel to meet Eric on the stairs again. Drake kicked off from the edge of the rock, backstroking across the waters with a lazy grin on his face.

He bumped headfirst into someone's back.

Melody.

His heart jumped and he blurted, "Oh, hi!" just a little too eagerly. Okay, a lot too eagerly.

She recognized him too from the way she smiled at him, from the way her eyes darted away, from the way she giggled as she greeted him with a shy, "Hi…!"

Drake tilted his head and thought. In the next instant, he acted upon a whim. After all, his actions were completely justified under King Triton, no matter how rash or haphazard they might have been.

He held out his arm to her and said, "I think I owe you a dance."

* * *

><p><em>Dancing is a language that is felt instead of heard<em>_  
><em>_But it says much more than language ever could__  
><em>_And every little step, every single step__  
><em>_Is one step closer  
>To being understood<em>


End file.
